Criminal cases that the Crown Prosecution Service take to court are in the news every day. This section also covers many issues related to our work, including violence against women and girls, hate crime, support for victims and witnesses, statistics, and speeches by the Director of Public Prosecutions and other senior staff.
Latest news
You can find our latest news stories here and search for older stories. You can also find more information about high-profile cases and the work of the CPS.
Working with the media
To make criminal court reporting more open, the CPS, police, and media representatives created a joint protocol (agreement) for working together. We are currently working on an updated version of the protocol.
Showing 21 - 30 of 108 results for area "Mersey-Cheshire"
A man who groomed and sexually abused several children, sometimes for payment, has been jailed for 20 years.Michael Lymath, 43, from Southport, made contact with the teenagers, a boy and five girls, via social media and online games. He was aware that they were all children and began by talking…
The Crown Prosecution Service has successfully prosecuted three men after a BBC Panorama programme revealed bullying and assaults on pupils at a school.The Life school in New Brighton, Wirral, was a private alternative educational provision for children with special educational needs such as autism…
A targeted stop and search pilot in Merseyside is drawing to a close, ahead of a decision to roll the post-conviction powers out nationally. Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) were introduced on Wednesday 19 April 2023 in four areas – Merseyside, Thames Valley, West Midlands and Sussex …
A man who groomed three teenage girls via social media sites and then sexually abused them has been jailed for life.Marc Noonan, 27, from Liverpool, moved from one victim to the next and escalated the violence and abuse against the girls as time went on.His youngest victim was just 13. The other…
This press release was originally published on 6 March 2025.Update: On 4 April 2025 Joanne Sharkey was given a two-year suspended prison sentence suspended for two years at Liverpool Crown Court after previously admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility. A woman has admitted killing…
A Merseyside man has been sentenced for stalking and harassing Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas.Kyle Shaw, 37, of Whetstone Lane, Birkenhead, began contacting relatives of the former dancer and TV personality in 2014. The contact became threatening and abusive when they refused to engage…
Former Premier League footballer Brandon Williams has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving after being caught speeding in Cheshire. Williams, 24, who was contracted to Manchester United at the time but was loaned to Ipswich Town during the 2023-24 season, was spotted by witnesses driving at…
A care worker who had a sexual relationship with a vulnerable woman he was looking after and made her pregnant has been jailed.Iain Barton, 58, of Glamis Road in Old Swan, Liverpool, was working night shifts as a support worker at a home on Merseyside for people recovering from mental health…
A group of men who diverted electricity to supply cannabis farms run by organised crime gangs have been jailed for more than 28 years.The men ran a sophisticated operation under cover of being a legitimate company, digging up roads to repair utilities.They spliced electricity mains up and down the…
A man who grabbed a woman in a park in broad daylight and attempted to rape her while she was with her young son has been jailed.John Whitfield, 37, of Layton Close, Birchwood, Warrington, grabbed the woman from behind at around 1.55pm in July 2024.She was in the park in Warrington with her young…
Press ReleaseSexual offencesMersey-Cheshire
Press Office contact details
Please note that our Press Office is NOT able to deal with issues or queries from members of the public - these contact details are for accredited journalists ONLY. Do not call this number unless you a member of the press. For all general enquiries, please visit contact.cps.gov.uk.
If you are a national or international journalist with a media enquiry, you can contact the CPS Press Office on 020 3357 0906 or email [email protected] (9am-5pm weekdays only).
For out-of-hours media enquiries please call 020 3357 0906 to reach the duty press officer.
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Media protocol
To ensure greater openness in the reporting of criminal proceedings, the CPS, the police and media representatives developed a joint protocol for working together. We are currently in the process of updating the protocol.
